• Welcome to Cuba, 2009. Castro is dead, and the newly freed republic has its first elections in decades. The Ghosts are sent in to fight a druglord out to sabotage the elections & take over the island.

• Fight against new enemies in dangerous new locales, from Havana to Colombia -- all rendered in incredibly realistic graphics

• Survive through strategic use of firepower -- 12 new weapons like the M4 SOCOM rifle and the MM-1 automatic grenade launcher

• Dangerous new Cuban enemy vehicles, as well as new allies to boost your side

• New voice recognition tools lets you give orders to your teammates through the PS2 headset

This time, however, I was more then pleasantly surprised, but I'll try to stray from giving a very biased review, and attempt to speak in a perspective that will hopefully clarify any unsure expectations for the wondering buyer (which is why this review is four stars and not five).

First off: I suggest 'very' strongly that if you haven't played a "Ghost Recon" game yet, you begin with this one.

It has more up-to-date features (which I'll elaborate on), every mission from "Ghost Recon: Island Thunder" included for FREE in addition to the "Jungle Storm" missions, and an easy-to-use interface once you read the manual (warning: this IS one of those games where you should read the manual carfully before you pop it in your console... you will be lost, I can strongly assure you of that; so build up some patience).

Now, if you are a new player, here's a list of things you should know:
1. Yes, the controls are difficult, as with most Tom Clancy games. But not difficult to say they're always a problem, but enough to say it will be getting use to, and you should be prepared to be in a situation where you'll lose a mission because of the frustration. It's okay, it'll pass, but I'm 90% sure that at least three quarters of the people who pick this up without ever playing before will be tempted to just put the game down... it's that difficult.

2. This isn't a game where you can run in and blast everything. Probably one of the biggest appeals for these types of games is the depth of strategy involved. And believe me, this is a game where you can be winning, and then be losing in about five seconds (what I just said is meant to be taken literally: the tides can switch VERY fast, so be on your toes). Perhaps this level of innovation will put off gamers who don't have the patience or diligence to take everything so "step-by-step", so that's a warning right there. On a positive note, this gives the games an IMMENSE level of intense, hand-shaking, eyes-darting gameplay, and will without a doubt make you feel like you're in the soldiers shoes if you're willing to make that kind of connection with the game.

3. People looking for the "latest in graphics" should not come looking here. As usual, the "Ghost Recon" games are a... little behind, so to speak. So, it's much less "eye-candy", and more about the game. Which is good, I think! I believe that many people today are getting too uptight about graphics, and leave a lot of actual gaming to be desired. In conclusion, if you're looking for rich colors, texture, and cutscenes, then you've already bought the game for the wrong reason. If you're looking for rich substance, gameplay, and complex thinking, you're on your way to having a good time.

That's about all there is to know for the new gamers.

For older fans, I guess it's always nice to have more missions and goodies, but you might want to wait until the price drops, or get it used.

And for both groups of people, I'll add a list of neat little game aspects for more information:

-When you're shot, the camera blurrs, and realistic sounds and movements come into effect.
-The new "threat indicater" is quite a step up! Now you can locate your enemies and be aware of their distance to a point (it's vague in excatly what direction they're in, but with an extra layer added to the indicater, you'll start being cautious before you're anywhere close to an enemy, so don't worry about getting ambushed without knowing it).
-You'll limp when you're shot in the leg, it's harder to get a perfect shot when you've just been running or keep jittering, and your enemies will spot you and shoot you dead on the site if you're not carful... overwhelming intensity.
-Rescuing hostages adds more flavor to the rich game.
-Commanding two teams of people (as well as choosing how they proceed, shoot, and where they go) can be very satisfying for anyone looking for good strategy, as long as you become accustomed to the style of the game.
-The story isn't ridiculous (had a much better time getting into it then I did with "Final Fantasy X-2").

Finally, as a bonus, I'll point out the 'pros and cons' before I end this review.

Pros:
+Intense gameplay.
+Surprising strategy allows you to make many decisions.
+Great replay value; with the "quick-mission" feature there, you can be playing this game for a looong time.
+All the missions from "Ghost Recon: Island Thunder" added in, free of charge! (I'm surprised they didn't mention this on the case!)
+Maybe get another controller or get an online connection so you can play multi-player. Even MORE replay value.
+Soundtrack can be breath-taking when you're sneaking up to an enemy base, hoping that your team doesn't make a sound too loud that you'll be heard.
Cons:
-Graphics sometimes remind you that you're playing a videogame, and with this type of game, only lessens the intensity (if this games just had up-to-date graphics, it'd be absolutely incredible. Even so, it's still good)
-Controls, gameplay, and story may not appeal to a number of gamers, which can lead to selling the game back, or just letting it collect dust.
-Enemies could be a BIT smarter (to say the least; once they were five feet away, walking TOWARDS me, and didn't shoot...?)
-Campy narrator is just completely unnecessary.

Tell me if this review helped.

10 of 10 found the following review helpful:


Better than a lot of military games I've played!  Dec 06, 2004 By TRFB
It would be a diservice to compare this game to other games such as Navy Seals and Medal of Honor. I will treat this game on it's own merit and game play. I really enjoyed the first Ghost Recon game immensely, but I thought, I wish I could use a headset to speak commands. Well, they must've heard me because you can with this game!! It's fun to tell my guys what to do. I like that you can switch to different characters on the fly. If you are playing and get seriously injured well, you can switch to a healthy one to lead. And the injured one actually moves as if he is really injured!! Now that's awesome. Graphics are really good. Especially the one where you are in the rain and it's foggy. Awesome. Visibility is very low and you have to rely on your sensor to tell where bad guys are or potentially are. A few time's I've reverted to using my night vision in the day when visibility is compromised. So, you can improvise in this game. I see by many other reviewers that they've not thought as highly as I have about this game. But, I can tell you, I've enjoyed it so much, I want to just keep on going. And now they got Ghost Recon 2!! I can't wait to get my hands on that one as well!!

8 of 9 found the following review helpful:


Good and Bad...read  Jul 09, 2004 By DawgPwnd "DawgPwnd"
This game has been reviewed pretty harshly by most players, probably because they're used to games like SOCOM which blow the competition away. For a, well, 'not SOCOM' game it actually stacks up pretty well. The graphics are okay, not outstanding, so probably a 7/10 rating. The game can get a little choppy at times as well, but it usually doesn't effect gameplay. The first player mode isn't too great, getting hit hard by the lack of difficulty throughout the missions. Even if you chose the toughest mode, elite, the levels still don't seem to be that hard. Even though there are about 30 missions, you can finish the game in a few days easy. HOWEVER!!! The multiplayer is EXCELLENT. No one mentions this in reviews!! And I don't mean online because that isn't incredible but still fun, but I mean the split screen so you can play at home with friends. All of the top games, Splinter Cell PT, SOCOM, etc... don't have split screen at all or it isn't that great. You have 31 levels to chose from and 10 modes, and you can be 1 of 4 types of players (Sniper, Demolitions, Riflesmen, and Support). With all of these combinations, the multiplayer is extremely fun and is the only reason why I'd by this game. There aren't a lot of new games that have great split screen action for the FPS games, but this is definitely a step in the right direction. The only reason I'd rent or buy this game is because of split screen, otherwise it's just an okay game. My rating: 7.5 / 10

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:


J from Switzerland  Aug 17, 2004
This game is very cool! I love Tom Clancy games; that's why I bought this one. The story and gameplay are excellent! The bad part about this game is that when you're playing with the headset you have to talk very clearly; if dont, your team members (that you control) don't understand you. Another problem is that the bad guys are very stupid! But that's not too bad. I took 1 star away because the graphics are sometimes not too good(very rarely, though!).

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:


This game rules!  May 11, 2004
I dont know why you all hate this game! This is the best game on the ps2, no doubt about it. Yes, the graphics suck, but a game with crappy graphics and good gameplay is better than a game with good graphics and crappy gameplay. The online mode is the best(its broadband only) and it supports the headset. You can have up to 8 people deathmatch, or 6 player co-op. It has two campaigns (island thunder and jungle storm) and has another 10 or so *bonus* maps from earlier Ghost Recon titles. It is a great value, and if you can overlook the graphics, you will have A LOT of fun with this game!

Pros: Great gameplay
Online + headset support
35+ maps
around 40 real life guns

Cons: crappy graphics
your character breathing sounds get REALLY annnoying after a while.......

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